I don't mind when white people say stupid [censored] about Africa, but when it's black people doing it saddens a lot. Too many Diaspora Africans are ignorant about their ancestors. They keep making these silly insinuations about our forefathers selling their kind to the white folks. For their information, everywhere around the world there have been and there still are group who sold their own people, Africa is no exception. The slavery that existed in Africa was not frequent as in other parts of the world. During pre-colonial times, the slavery that existed in Africa then was very minor and more like indentured servitude. Diaspora Africans must also realize, it is European imperialism for the most part, that has caused sharp divisions between Africans on the continent and it is the whites that displace our folks and caused harm to them. There is no West African nations conspiracy why they really got sold as slaves. They should keep their emotions aside and try to begin to think with rationale instead of all that build up anger history and untruths that certain historians taught them.

They mention the hostility of some Africans towards Diaspora Africans, and they are right about that, but they must also realize that the majority of Diaspora Africans (although sometimes claiming Africa liberation and repatriation) remains in the West and refuse to go and create business in the Motherland. They are scared of the instability of Africa, also of the people in Africa itself based on the flawed observations through the western media. Thus, the indifference and sometimes hatred of some Africans towards Diaspora Africans who never never reached out to build bridges with them. However, Diaspora Africans must keep in mind, some African nations have been trying to appease the disquieted ancestors and their descendants of the Diaspora for a while now. Not every native African's heart is cold. Our ancestors deserve the same acknowledgement as Anglo-Saxon Caucasians and European Aryans display towards their own even in spite of their recorded barbarism waged on their own and other peoples. European-Americans revere their ancestors. Their monuments and mentioning of their dead at every occasion attest to this practice. But why do many African-Americans and many Diaspora Africans lack this honor and dignity? Healing is the first step towards nation building!

As you know I'm a Congolese woman. I have a fierce pride of my history, culture, dances, music and art and my heart internally cry whenever I come across anyone who only thinks negative of Africa or the people from Africa. A lot of time I remember thinking we Congolese people have enough to deal with already, trying to survive and everything, so I can understand why Diaspora Africans wouldn't go out of their ways to fight other Black people battles. That's perfectly understandable. That's until I shifted my thinking from selfishness (too bad for our common enemy!) to our ancestors that suffered. I saw that they kept crying out to the same racists America and its European allies governments for freedom and equality. I look back at blacks thorough history and seeing mutilated black families hanging on a tree with all these white towns folk standing around spectating like it was a circus show or something. I also read historic accounts of how between 1880 and 1920 King Leopold II of the Belgians was responsible for the murder of 100 millions of Africans in his quest for control of our natural resources in our own continent. Even Adolph Hitler and his Nazis at the height of their rape, mutilation and massacre of Europeans Jews did not equal Leopold II's exploitation of the Congo and type of genocide in Africa. And I wander what if our ancestors came today and saw us in our freedom and saw what was going on? Would they be pleased at our freedom? If those African slaves from back in the day were here today saw our way of life these days what would they say!!

As a Congolese, I am feeling betrayed by the International community particularly the US and European Union. We Congolese people have a big problem on our hands. But it is not okay to scapegoat other Africans or Diaspora Africans for what's going very ugly in Congo. Instead of looking into the US and European governments fight to take away our people pride, we are being indoctrinated into becoming worst and more dangerous than the white racists ones we are currently dealing with. Is the anti-African patriotism really Black people's future in the making?

I dont' think so! 200 years from now, Toussaint L'Ouverture and a group of poorly equipped, poorly trained, outnumbered, uneducated, hungry, but determined Haitian soldiers win their biggest battle against the world's mightiest military power of the time. They won it because they had the spirit of winning. Just as the African heroes: Marcus Garvey, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Huey Newton, MLK, Steve Bantu Biko, Patrice Lumumba, kwame Nkrumah, Ahmed Seku Ture and countless other African liberation fighters worldwide who died so that we can understand the importance of unity in the Black Diaspora and the Motherland. Our ancestors and elders showed the spirit of winning! They did not see the issue for their dislocation. They didn't complain that they were who sold by their own people. They didn't complain they were poorly armed, and uneducated, they only wanted and believed they could win. With this spirit I celebrate 2004 and I'm going to work to free Congo and the Black African Diaspora from poverty. If our ancestors prevailed, this should serve us as example that we can prevail upon anything.

Political Unification was unique of the African society. It was developped within the concrete expression of the African personality, at the same time based on the principles of humanism and collectivism. Africans and Diaspora Africans, show your spirit of victory by celebrating 2004 with Haitians. And work for the imperative of Black liberation worldwide. Black people are not respected in white nations. Everyone is on their own, that should be the theme of Black people. We have nothing to lose in regaining our political Unification. All for Pan-Africanism. Sankofa!


Bantu Kelani.

I thank you leslie for your reply and insightful comments..

My focus on pointing the crimes and mis-education that is done to us by Caucasian people, is not in any way a pass to uphold hatred of the white man and woman. Our progressive/Pan-African attitude should only be used to provide a defense and rebuild our African Nation. This is why it is paramount to only trust individuals working towards the emancipation goals of the Black group, without being dependent upon the thinking, perceptions, and satisfaction of Caucasian people who typically believe they are superior to anyone that is not white. Therefore, why would they want to mingle with and ape Negroes?

Many who claim Afrocentricity do not see and treat Black women with respect! Many of them fail to see or treat Africans on the continent as brothers and sisters and with respect. Many of them do not smile or speak to a Black person when they see them in an environment where we are rare. It is sad, for too many of us have grown to dismiss the cultural and psychological conduct of African people in primeval Africa. What is the value of racial consciousness without a healthy mental state of unity with the Black race? Undeniably, Colonialism and the colonial mindset play a prominent role in hindering our unity. It is imperative we embrace our traditions, to cleanse our mental form racists theories and reeducate ourselves. Every Black person, especially those in the Diaspora must understand as Malcolm X stated that misunderstanding or hating Africa is misunderstanding and hating oneself!

Around the globe we must now awaken and respond to this 2004 rallying cry for victory as the wealthiest continent on the face of the earth it is a crime and a shame that millions of Africans on the continent live at economic poverty levels below those of more than 1/3rd of the worlds poorest nations. Truly the time has come to get our act together since our initial physical freedom 200 years ago. We must embrace the concept of African optimism built on the lessons of the past, the astuteness of its originators, the hopes of its youth, and the resilience of the indomitable spirit of all brave Africans displayed by our continued excellence in all fields despite our numerous obstructions. May the Creator Source speedily break forth unto the Black race a victorious spirit and desire that cannot be quenched.  

Your sister in Unity,

Bantu Kelani.